Mammals

The coati is a muscular, short-legged animal, with a long, banded tail and a pointed, mobile snout. It lives in groups of up to 40 individuals, which hunt together day and night, resting in the heat of the day. With its mobile snout, the coati probes holes.

Active during the day, collared peccaries are known locally by various other names, including javelinas and forest hogs, because of their strong body odour. Collared peccaries are not directly related to pigs and wild boars. Pigs are native to Europe, Asia and Africa.

The king colobus monkey lives in tropical forests that have long periods of dry weather. Such forests are supplied by seasonal rains or monsoons. West Africa has two monsoons each year. King colobus monkeys eat leaves during and following the monsoons.

These dolphins are the smallest of all cetaceans. It was only during the 1950s that the separate Indian Ocean population of this species was discovered. Commerson's dolphins occur relatively close to the shore, often entering coastal inlets.

The classification of these dolphins has been controversial, and the long-beaked form is now regarded as a separate species, known scientifically as D. capensis. The common dolphin is also called the short-beaked saddleback dolphin.

Common marmosets live on the edges of tropical forests in north-eastern Brazil. The species is also known as the white-tufted-ear marmoset. However, the destruction of their forest habitat means that they are less common than they once were.

These tamarins have a very limited range, and three-quarters of their forest habitat has now been destroyed. Their population consists of around 2000 individuals. Cotton-top tamarins have an unusual breeding system. They live in groups of up to 20 adults.

The desert cottontail is distinguished from the brush rabbit, with which it overlaps in the south of its range, by its larger size and ears and by its grayish coat. Despite their name, desert cottontail rabbits do not just live in desert habitats.

Cats belong to the Felidae family of mammals. They fall into two main groups. The Panthera genus contains the big cats, such as lions and tigers, while Felis comprises the small cats, including the domestic cat. Cougars are also known as pumas.

Coyotes live throughout North America, from the humid forests of Panama to the treeless tundra regions of Canada and Alaska. They are most common in the unpopulated desert areas of the south-western United States and northern Mexico.